Petco Text Logo
Petco Pet Logo

Dog's soft stool after surgery, new food, and medication: Normal?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Yorkshire Terrier | Female | spayed | 9 years and 6 months old | 3.6 lbs

Bella had anesthesia on Monday to remove teeth and biopsy gum. She has recovered well. Is eating, drinking, alert and going to the bathroom. She was prescribed clindacure and loxicom. I also started her on a canned food mixed with her softened regular kibble. Her stool is completely formed and not loose but is softer than usual. Could the meds, anesthesia or new canned be the culprit? I feel like this is a dumb question but I just want to be sure I shouldn't be concerned.

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Image profile

Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

Published on June 21st, 2017

No worries - it's not a dumb question at all! :) It's very common for canned food to result in softer stool, so this is the most likely cause. Antibiotics such as clindamycin (ClindaCure) can also cause soft stool or even diarrhea in some dogs, so this could be a contributing factor as well. As long as she is happy and acting normal, it shouldn't be any cause for concern.

Vote icon

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

  • Image profile

    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on July 8th, 2017

    If Phoebe has a prescription for a sensitive stomach food, then yes I would try it to see if it helps with her soft stools. It could be the new food is upsetting her stomach, leading to them. See if this prescription food does help with her soft stools, and keep your dogs separate when you feed them so your dog who is allergic doesn't get into it. I hope this helps!

    Vote icon

    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

See More Answers

Related Questions

Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Precious had her dental yesterday. She went in at 7 am & came home around 3:30 pm. She didn’t poop in the morning so she held it while she was there. When she came home & did it, a bit of it was firm & brown & the rest was light brown & soft. Is this
I am glad to hear she seems to be feeling well. Occasionally, the Gi tract will have a mild temporary change during/after anesthesia which can result in the changes in the stool that you saw. I would recommend that you feed her a bland diet (boiled chicken and white rice) for the next couple of days. As long as she's acting normally, eating, and isn't vomiting, I don't think you need to be too concerned. Thanks for asking Boop by Petco!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
He neutered about 4 weeks ago and was on antibiotics for 2 of those weeks. He experienced diarrhea almost every day after antibiotics ended despite eating his regular food. We thought he had worms and gave him dewormer and his poop firmed up for a fe
Some antibiotics can cause gastrointestinal upset. I would have expected that to resolve once the antibiotics were discontinued. Since he has vomited and continues to have a soft stool, you may need to have a fecal samples checked and obtain abdominal x-rays to rule out a foreign body.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Is this color of his potty normal ? Also he was on clindamycin and I stop 2 day ago due to gas issue I stop giving him since then today's is thisrd day and he did this color potty kindly see the attach photo first two photo are without flash and 3 on
Hello, sorry to hear about Danny. It does indeed look like his stools may be darker than normal. This may be associated with the use of clindamycin as this antibiotic can cause soft stools and GI upset. Now that you have stopped it, his stools should return to normal within the next few days. If they don't, then you will need to have him evaluated by your veterinarian as he may need some probiotics. Hope this helps and best of luck.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My. Lab had a small bowel resection 9 days ago for a mass which they feel is due to a fungal infection. Further tests and cultures are pending he is having somewhat formed but very soft stools is this considered normal after the type of surgery he ha
Yes, it can take time for the intestine to heal after surgery. As long as Marley has a good appetite and is producing stools, then a softer than normal consistency is okay with me. He should be evaluated by a vet if he has vomiting, a poor appetite, diarrhea, or no stools in 24 hours.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Food & Nutrition
Kassi had her teeth cleaned,they pulled 2 of them,that's been 6 days ago,she has to eat soft foods for 10 days and she has a soft stool and threw up today,would the soft food cause this problem?
If Kassi hasn't had soft food before, this change of diet could be causing the soft stool and vomiting. It could also be caused by any medication she is currently taking. Give her vet a call to let them know you are seeing these symptoms, and they can advise you if they want you to bring her in or not. I hope this helps.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Is this normal stool? He’s been on amoxicillin, he gets boiled chicken with a probiotic supplement on it.
Hi and thanks for posting! From the pictures, the stools appears to be somewhat firm, formed, but perhaps a little on the softer side which can be normal if this is his usual #2. Amoxicillin is an antibiotic which can cause softer or looser stools to form. if you are worried, you can always bring in a sample to your veterinarian for closer inspection.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Hi. Our dog has had soft stool for several days and has started to whine after urinating. She's eating and drinking fine. At first we thought it was because we gave her different food after running out, but we switched back to her normal food after a
Certainly a food change can cause soft stool - even if you switch back to the previous food. It's important to remember, however, that there are many causes of soft stool in dogs, and you shouldn't assume that the cause was the food switch. You can try to revert to a bland diet - boiled white meat chicken and boiled white rice mixed in 50:50 proportions, and cooked with no added seasonings or fats - in small quantities at frequent intervals. For examine, offer about 1/4 cup every 2 - 4 hours. If the stool returns to normal over 24 hours, then transition slowly back to the original food. If not, Jade will need to see a vet, because soft stool as well as potential pain after urinating can have multiple causes, and she may need testing, such as a fecal parasite test and a urinalysis, to determine the exact cause and appropriate treatments for her symptoms.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
About a month ago our dog had some dental work and had four teeth removed. She also started antibiotics and was switched to soft food. She now has chronic diarrhea ever since. We have been feeding her a high-quality soft food and offer her dry senior
Violet's diarrhea is probably from the recent change in food and possibly the antibiotics she was on. For some dogs canned food is too rich and is difficult for them to digest. If she will only eat canned food you could consider feeding her a low residue prescription diet (Hill's i/d, Royal Canin GI low fat). You can purchase these from your vet. Since Violet has been having diarrhea for a longer period of time she may have an imbalance of the normal bacteria in her gut. When this happens dogs usually need antibiotics and probiotics to help get everything back in balance. And finally, I always recommend having a fecal performed in cases of diarrhea to rule out intestinal parasites. I hope this helps. Best of luck.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My dog had diarrhea for three days last week, he tested negative for parasites. Was put on antibiotics and bland diet. Has extremely soft stool. What else could this be? How can I get his stool back to normal?
Thanks for using Boop by Petco! Other possibilities for these clinical signs include gastroenteritis, colitis, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, malabsorption disease, dietary indiscretion, inflammatory bowel disease, among other possibilities. You can start by trying to change his diet to a sensitive stomach type diet. If no improvement is noted, your veterinarian can try medications for diarrhea such as metronidazole or Tylosin. You can also consider probiotics. If no improvement with these conservative therapies, you would have to consider more diagnostics such as abdominal ultrasound and GI panel. Good luck and have a good night!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Dog had mass removal surgery 4-5 days ago, is currently on Ciprofloxacin and Gabapentin, Heartgard given yesterday with vet approval. Normal appetite, no change in behavior but Had diarrhea yesterday and this morning, vomited twice this morning. Caus
Thank you for submitting your question regarding Stella. While all medications can have side effects, antibiotics typically cause gastrointestinal upset. Be sure to give the ciprofloxacin with food as this can help decrease these effects. If this does not help, then you will need to contract her veterinarian. She should be seen today if she is acting sick as such being lethargic or refusing to eat or drink as there are other causes of the symptoms you have described not related to her medications. I hope this information helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
image
Have A Vet Question?

Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.

Book Now

Sponsored